


To Catch a King

by thebatdog



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2017-12-31 17:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1034357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebatdog/pseuds/thebatdog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz Woodville has hit rock bottom. She lost her husband, she's broke and she's living with her parents again. Worst of all her sons are not being given what is rightfully theirs. Liz is off to New York to meet with a young successful lawyer to see if he could take her case. But little does she know, he may also be taking her heart and she his'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to do a Modern AU, but this time focus on the relationship of Edward and Elizabeth. This is sort of a quick prologue, I promise as the story goes on it won't be as short!!

A figure ran through the shadows of the snowy trees. She picked up the hem of her dress to stop herself from tripping on it as she ran away from an invisible enemy. The bitter cold stung her skin and she found herself gasping for air, for she had been running for what felt to be a long time. The hooves of the enemy’s’ horses seemed to be nearing, so she picked up the pace. But then out of nowhere a tree root appeared; tripping on it she fell to the ground. Unable to get up, she clung to the closest tree as though it could save her from her fate. The men on horses caught up to her and slowly sauntered over to where she was. The leader of the group in shining silver armor and a great golden crown jumped off his horse and walked over to the woman. Fear made her unable to move as he unsheathed his sword and swung it at her neck. The sword was about to slice her neck when-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Liz flung up in bed as the alarm ringing six tore her from her dream. She looked around her and saw that she was safely in her room and not in some foreign forest. Just to make sure she touched her neck to see if a cut had been made, but all she felt was her smooth skin. “No more watching Game of Thrones with Anthony and the boys before bed” she thought as she quietly rolled off her air mattress, hoping not to disturb the still sleeping twosome in the double bed in the other corner of the room. 

She went to the door where hanging was an outfit that had been placed there the previous evening. Liz took the outfit from the door and crept across the hall to the bathroom. She quickly took a hot shower hoping to eliminate some of the cold she still felt from her dream. After her shower she put her long blonde hair in a professional- style bun and put on the outfit. It was a modest pale pink dress and matching blazer. It wasn’t Chanel or any other expensive brand; in fact the only way she was able to afford the outfit was because she found it extremely on sale at an outlet store. But it did the job it needed to do. She carefully put on some make-up and looked into the mirror. Although she was a very beautiful woman, Liz could not help but feel a little disappointed in her reflection. “ It will have to do for now” she resigned to herself. 

After putting on the finishing touches to her look she went back into the room she shared with her boys and woke them up. After many protests and grumblings, Liz managed to drag Tommy and Richard out of bed and get them dressed in the most formal clothes they owned. She looked at her little boys in their tiny suits. Liz tried to forget that the last time the tiny suits were worn was when she saw her husband John for the last time. Liz quickly shook the thought from her mind and continued to get the boys ready and out of the room.

“Ok boys we have to extra quiet as we walk down the hall! We don’t want to wake your aunts and uncles.” Liz said as they tiptoed to the kitchen. Checking her watch, she realized they were running short of time. She quickly grabbed some apples and granola bars for herself and the boys, put them in her purse and then ushered them out of the house. 

The threesome then sped-walk a couple blocks to the local train station. They got there with enough time to buy tickets and hop onto the next NJ transit train. Liz managed to find a three-seater and got the boys and herself settled in for the hour journey to New-York Penn Station. Richard quickly fell back asleep as it was still early in the morning, but Tommy was getting more and more excited about the prospect of going into the city. Liz looked sadly at her boys as she remembered the events that led to this moment….


	2. Leading up to now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Exposition Batman!! Sorry guys this chapter is really info heavy.

Liz’s life had always a strange mix of blue-collar living, with the expectation to act like a white-collar queen. She would have to thank her mother, Jacquetta, for that. 

Jacquetta Luxembourg had been born into a life of brilliance and privilege. Her father was Peter Luxembourg, a powerful American businessman. Many called him the modern Rockefeller and it was said that he never wanted for anything and had always managed to get his way in every aspect of his life. He especially won in his love life. While on a business trip to France, Peter met Marguerite de Baux, an Italian-born, French-raised heiress/ model. Attracted to her beauty and money, Peter quickly tried to woo her. His advances were successful and a few months later, he made her his wife. They hopped onto a plane back to the US and a few years later they had a daughter named Jacquetta. 

Jacquetta was the society pages darling. Many would agree that the best way to describe her was bewitching. Anyone who met her would immediately fall under her spell. She had the beauty of her mother and the mental know-how that made her father so successful. She always seemed to have a sixth sense about her and everywhere she went she would leave a lasting impression. She spilt most of her childhood in New York and France and went to all the best schools around the world.

However, unbeknownst to anyone, Jacquetta was tired of this life and felt it was boring. As much as she wanted to leave it behind, she was too scared and continued to live in the role her parents wanted her play. She played her part well, until at the age of 20, when her father dropped a bombshell. Jacquetta was to marry a rich New Yorker by the name of Duke Bedford, a man who was well into his mid-thirties. 

“How could you do this to me!” Jacquetta cried. “This is the late twentieth century, Dad! I’m pretty sure arranged marriages don’t happen anymore!” 

No matter how much she begged and pleaded, her parents kept trying to convince her that marrying Duke would be the best choice. Eventually they wore her down, broke her, and she accepted her fate. Duke Bedford started openly courting her and she tried her best to play the part of blushing fiancé. Duke wasn’t a horrible man, but Jacquetta knew deep down that she could never love him, and she was pretty sure he felt the same. However the marriage was never meant to be a love match, it was a business transaction. 

There was one shining light in all of this: Richard Woodville. Ritchie was an intern at Bedford’s company and soon became his assistant. Everywhere Duke went, Ritchie would follow. Since he was only a year older than Jacquetta, his job soon became watching over Jacquetta, causing them to spend lots of time together. Jacquetta felt she could be her true self around him and told him her true feelings on Duke. He became her best and only true friend. But as her wedding to Duke approached she realized that her feelings for Ritchie were more than just friendly. Lucky for her he felt the same. One night after She having dinner with Duke, Ritchie brought Jacquetta to his small apartment rather than to her penthouse as he had been instructed to do. 

“Ritchie, what are you doing? You know Duke would kill you if he found out about this!” 

“I don’t care, Jackie. I don’t want you to marry Duke”

“W-why?” Jacquetta stammered trying to stay calm for fear her feelings would pour out of her.

“Because I love you, and you deserve to be loved,” He said as he brought his lips to hers. Jacquetta hungrily returned the kiss. Ritchie then lead the two of them to his bedroom where together they spent the night proving their love to one another. 

They kept their love a secret, until a few months later when Jacquetta learned that she was pregnant. The thought of having a child at 21 was scary, but it finally gave her an excuse to break off the marriage and go public with Ritchie. However, her parents were furious. Not only did she cheat on Duke, but also she was pregnant and the father of her child was a poor man with no connections other than Duke. Jacquetta’s father disinherited her and made her break ties from the family. After some intervention by her mother, Jacquetta was allowed a small sum of money and was able to become Jacquetta Woodville. Jacquetta knew that she would never be rich again, but it didn’t matter. Her heart felt full. She had a husband who loved and respected her, and she was to become a mother. 

That fateful child was Elizabeth or Liz, as she was affectionately known. Many brothers and sisters followed her in birth. Liz and her siblings lived in a big old house, which Jacquetta’s small inheritance paid for, in New Jersey. Ritchie, who had been fired from Duke’s company, started his own small business. Money was tight for the Woodville’s but love always kept them together. 

\--------------------------------

Elizabeth’s childhood had been a happy one. She was a pretty girl and had always been popular in school. Every one wanted to be friends with her, but Liz had always counted her younger brother Anthony as her best friend. Liz had not only inherited her mother’s looks, but also her mother’s strength. Her almost mystical way of getting what she wanted caused her to receive the nickname ‘the witch’. 

In a matter of years, Liz had grown from being a pretty girl into a beautiful young woman. She went to the local state college where she majored in business. It was at college, she met John Grey. 

John Grey was a college freshman like Liz, and was from a neighboring town. He wasn’t the hottest boy, but he definitely had his positives. He was the only child of a single mother, who happened to have quite a bit of money. John had been in many of Liz’s classes first semester, and soon they started talking. Soon talking became friendship, and friendship turned to dating. Liz and John were in couple’s bliss, until history repeated itself. After a week of constant morning sickness, Liz took a test and discovered she was pregnant at the young age of 20. Wanting to do the “right thing”, John and Liz got married, much to the chagrin of his mother. Ms. Grey did not like Elizabeth and felt that she had gotten herself pregnant in order to force John into marriage. 

John refused to listen to his mother, and lived a happy life with Liz. The two made the best of their situation. They both quit school and bought a small apartment to house their family. John worked nights at a store to help make sure there would be enough money, since Ms. Grey was not willing to help. 

After nine long months, Thomas Grey was born. A few years later, Richard Grey followed. This had not been the life that Liz had planned for herself, but she was happy nonetheless. Everything seemed to be going well for the Greys, until one fateful winter night. It was 5 in the morning, when Liz was awoken by a loud knock at the door. When she found two police officers standing, she knew the worst had happened. John had been driving home from work, when he lost control of the car and crashed. He died instantly.

For a long while she was numb with grief, the following months went by in a haze. She vaguely remembered the funeral where she last saw John lying in his coffin. She sort-of remembered having to move back into her old room, because she could no longer afford her apartment. But for the most part everything felt like a blank.

She awoke from her numbness when, she learned of John’s will. Liz had always expected that money that was to go to John would be then given to her sons. However, Ms. Grey refused to give any money to the boys. The two argued intensely at the reading of the will. 

“They probably aren’t even my son’s children. I don’t want that witch to touch any of my son’s money. It’s because of her, he’s dead!” Ms. Grey spat. 

“Those are his kids, and they will get what is rightfully theirs!”

“I would like to see you try to take it!” Ms. Grey challenged. 

“Watch me.” Liz silently warned her, as she stood up and walked out of the room. 

\--------------------------------------

It had been weeks since the encounter with Ms. Grey, but as of yet, Liz could not figure out a way to get her boy’s inheritance. 

“It’s hopeless!” Liz sobbed to her mother, as she threw down a law book she had borrowed from the library.

“Now, now. We are women from great lineage, and us Woodville girls do not give up easily. Now come with me I have something to show you.” Jacquetta led Liz into the office of the house and sat her down by the computer. On the screen was a bookmarks page filled with links, entitled ‘lawyers for Liz’. “I want you to close your eyes and then point to the screen, whichever link you’ve selected will be the one that will help your boys.”

“Mom that sounds like a stupid idea! Do you honestly think that’s going to help me find the right lawyer?”

“Trust me, dear.” Countered Jacquetta.

Liz did as her mother instructed and closed her eyes. She lifted her finger to the screen, trying to decide where it should land. She felt an almost magnetic pull to the area that she guessed was the bottom of the page. When she opened her eyes, she found her finger pointing to link for a NYC law firm by the name of Neville and Plantagenet. She then clicked on the link that led to a sleekly designed website. The law firm was definitely top scale. She examined the website, and surprisingly it seemed like they could definitely help Liz win her case. But when she looked at the rates, she realized that it wasn’t going to be cheap. 

“Mom, I can barely afford to live, how do you think I’ll be able to pay for a lawyer like this” Liz cried disheartened.

Jacquetta gave her a small smile, and grabbed an envelope from her purse nearby and handed it to Liz. Enclosed was cash, and lots of it. Liz looked astonished at the amount of money and immediately tried to hand it back. Jacquetta refused.

“Think of this as a small loan. I have a feeling that you will be able to pay back soon enough.” 

And that was the end of the conversation. Liz was able to schedule an appointment with the younger partner, Edward Plantagenet for a few weeks time. She would go into the city with her sons and talk to him about her case.

\--------------------  
All of these events led to now. The stops were getting closer. Soon Liz, Tommy and Richard would be getting off the train and be making their way to the law firm. 

“God I hope this Edward can help” thought Liz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm I think a certain man should be making an appearance soon!


	3. At first glance

The train was slowly arriving into the station, as Liz grabbed her boys’ hands and made way to the exit. Holding on to the boys with an iron grip, she cut through the crowd of commuters and climbed up the stairs to the main level of New York-Penn and then on to wait at the taxi stand out front. 

While waiting for a cab, Tommy and Richard looked at the tall buildings in wonder. “This is where Grammy is from, right mommy?” asked her youngest son. 

Liz smiled at him. “Yep, and Granddad is also from here too.” 

“Why couldn’t we have come from here? It so big! You and daddy should have moved here.”

Liz faltered at the mention of John, but was saved by the arrival of an available cab. She pushed the boys into the seats and told the cabbie the building address she had written down on a scrap of paper. 

The ride was filled with gasps of excitement. Tommy pointed to a giant ad for some big robot film Anthony was planning on taking the boys to, while Richard shook with glee whenever he saw a toy store. Listening to their excited babble, Liz couldn’t help but calm down; “this is why I’m doing. It is not for me, it’s for them.” The cab arrived at the destination with some time to spare, and Liz quickly went to the floor in which the offices of Neville and Plantagenet were located. 

Neville and Plantagenet was something out of a movie. It was sleek and modern. Clearly they knew they were good and wanted to show it. Well-dressed model-like men and women were buzzing about the office. Directly across from the entrance was a long stainless steel and glass desk where, a man whom Liz assumed to be the secretary was clicking away on the computer, clearly engrossed in whatever he was working on. 

Liz ushered the boys to sit on the black chairs in the waiting area while she approached the man. “Excuse me? Hello my name is Elizabeth Woodville Grey and I have an appointment to see Mr. Edward Plantagenet.” The man looked at her for a second and quickly went back to his computer

“Ah yes, Mrs. Grey,” The man said looking back and forth from her and his screen. “Mr. Plantagenet is just finishing up with another client, if you may be so kind to wait over there for a few minutes.” The man motioned to the sitting area where Tommy and Richard were.

Liz nodded to the man, who was already back to his work, and took a seat next to her boys. As she waited, she looked around and noticed that one man who had been looking at files near the main desk, slyly looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He was a middle-aged man. He was very handsome in the George Clooney kind of way and definitely held himself like he was Clooney. When the man had realized that he had been caught staring, he walked over to Liz. 

“Excuse me, but did you just say your name was Woodville?” 

“Yes, it’s my maiden name, and you are?” Liz said suspiciously. 

“Forgive my manners, I’m Richard Neville, co-partner here. But with the name Woodville would there be any chance that you would be related to a Jacquetta Woodville?

Before Liz could answer him, Richard did it for her. “That’s our Grammy!!”

Mr. Neville looked to the boys and grinned. “Well I first met your Grammy, Jacquetta Woodville when I was around your age. Back then she was Jacquetta Luxembourg, although at one time it was hoped that she would be Jacquetta Bedford.” He then turned his attention back to Liz. “If your name is Elizabeth, then I’m going to guess that you are the miracle love baby of Jacquetta and Ritchie.”

Liz did not know how to respond. Clearly Richard Neville knew her parents, but it was also clear that he was going to be an asshole about it. She was about to make a mocking response when a voice from another side of the room beat her to it.

“Now Dick, I will not have you harassing my clients. I won’t be afraid to take you to court.” Neville chuckled at the voice’s joking tone.

Liz turned to the supplier of the voice. She was stunned. Richard Neville had a certain handsomeness to him, but this new man was something else. He was like a Greek god something else. He wore a finely tailored suit, a bright smile on his face and blonde-brunette hair that was attractively cut. He was quite possibly one of the most handsome men she had ever met.

“Mrs. Grey, it is so nice to finally meet you. I’m Edward Plantagenet.” Edward walked over to her and reached for a handshake.

Liz shook his hand and someone how managed to speak. “Hello Mr. Plantagenet. I really hope you will be able to help us.”

“Please it’s Edward, and I hope I can be able to help you guys too.” Edward then motioned for her to follow him into his office. “Would you like your sons to wait outside or come in?”

Liz stared at her boys and then looked at Richard Neville who was watching her and Edward with interest. “I think I’ll bring them with me.”

Edward gave her a 100 watt smile and led the Greys into his office…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I know I'm a horrible person. College kind of took over my life. Thankfully my school is having a snowpocalypse so I'll have a little bit more time to crank out some more chapters.


End file.
